Tonight’s shop ops: Breast tape and luxe loungewear

Stop the peep show: There are times when you just don’t want to let it all hang out. We’re talking cleavage.

The news release had a strange headline: “Are you celebrating your boobs this Thursday?”

We had to stop and wonder, first of all, “Why would we do that?” And then, second, “How would we do that?” And then, third, “What’s the alternative, to denigrate them?”

The folks at “ShowStoppers” — the makers of a new type of double-sided tape — are hosting a party from 6-9 pm tonight at The Republic restaurant, 3213 Scott St., to launch their product. It’s already sold at Fred Segal in Los Angeles, and is also available at Showstopshop.com.

As anyone who’s struggled with plunging necklines or button-down blouses that cap can attest, there are times when you want to reveal hint of cleavage but you don’t want to bare the girls entirely.

There are other tapes on the market, many of them clear and thin, and Shannon Mattingly had tried them, to no avail. She needed them for her job at a medical consulting firm in San Francisco, where she had to wear a uniform that unfortunately gapped between buttons at the chest. Subsequently, she moved to Los Angeles to work for an international talent agency, and while on the red carpet and at photo shoots, saw new opportunities for a better type of double-sided tape.

Inspired by foam tape used to mount wall hangings, she created ShowStopper, which is also made of foam — but thinner than the sort of tape you’d get at the hardware store, said talent agency co-worker Adriana McMahon, who is a partner in the business along with Megan Robinson.

The tape can also be used for pants hemlines or to keep bra straps in place, and the makers claim they do not leave residue on clothing. They’re sold in individual packs with 24 pieces of tape, for $7.99, or larger boxes with 20 packets of 24 pieces of tape, for $99.99, at showstopshop.com.

Mention this blog post to gain admittance to the launch party. The first 50 attendees will receive gift bags, McMahon said. A portion of the evening’s proceeds will be donated to the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.

C.Z. Falconer launch: Check out the latest in high-end loungewear tonight at this party for Los Angeles’ C.Z. Falconer. The new lifestyle collection was developed by Katherine Zabloudil, a USF graduate who sense a void in the market, and has filled it with leggings, pants, ponchos, tunics and jumpsuits made from cashmere, silk and modal.